Federal Budget insights from the Centre for Western Sydney

Leading voices from the Centre for Western Sydney are available to comment on the Federal Budget and its impacts on Western Sydney, including housing, infrastructure, skills, economic development and cost-of-living pressures.

Professor Azadeh Dastyari, Director

Professor Azadeh (Az) Dastyari is the Director of the Centre for Western Sydney and a Professor of Human Rights Law at Western Sydney University. She leads place-based research, engagement, and advocacy that seeks to unlock the unlimited potential of Western Sydney, with a strong focus on challenging systemic inequality and amplifying community voices. Professor Dastyari has held academic appointments at Harvard Law School, Georgetown University, and the European University Institute, and her expertise is regularly sought by parliaments and United Nations bodies.

“One in three people in Western Sydney are under the age of 25, so a budget focused on intergenerational equity is particularly important for our region. Measures aimed at reducing speculative pressure in the housing market through changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing, alongside investment in housing infrastructure, recognise that younger Australians deserve a fairer chance at housing security and economic stability. In a region as young, fast-growing and diverse as Western Sydney, these are not just economic reforms, they are equity measures that have the potential to shape opportunity for an entire generation. Of course, the real test will be how these measures are implemented in practice and whether they genuinely improve access to affordable housing and opportunity for younger people over time.”

“In a region as culturally diverse as Western Sydney, skills recognition is fundamentally an equity issue. Too many highly skilled migrants have spent years working below their qualifications despite already having the skills and practical experience Australia needs. The budget’s investment in faster and more flexible skills assessments, including better recognition of onshore migrants’ qualifications and experience, is an important step forward. These measures are not just good for productivity, they are about fairness, dignity and making sure opportunity is genuinely accessible.”

“Housing is not just an economic issue in Western Sydney. It is an equity issue, a dignity issue, and a human rights issue. For years, governments have talked about housing affordability while avoiding some of the structural settings driving the problem. This budget is significant because it is willing to engage with those harder questions. For a younger, fast-growing region like Western Sydney, that conversation is long overdue.”

“If governments want to know whether economic reform is working, Western Sydney is one of the places they should look first. One in ten Australians live in this region, and this budget contains several measures that have the potential to make a real difference in people’s daily lives, particularly around housing, healthcare and skills recognition. But we are still not at the point where investment and infrastructure funding consistently reflect Western Sydney’s population and growth on a per capita basis.”

Professor Neil Perry, Chief Economist

Professor Neil Perry is Chief Economist of the Centre for Western Sydney and specialises in economic development.

“This is a great budget for the Aussie battler. It is great for Western Sydney over the long term with reduced pressure on the housing market, a tax cut for workers and reduced costs in the construction sector and for tradies.”

“Although the changes aimed at improving intergenerational equity have been pushed out to the future, over the long term we should see less pressure in the housing market from reduced investor demand. Prices will continue to rise but grow at a slower pace.”

“The government has bravely attacked one of the main causes of the housing crisis in Australia and Western Sydney, but changing capital gains tax and negative gearing has been grandfathered, delaying intergenerational impacts.”

“Over the long term, the budget will address intergenerational equity, which is great for Western Sydney where the population is younger and wealth and income is lower.”

To arrange an interview, please email media@westernsydney.edu.au.

ENDS.

13 May 2026
Media Unit